Jaehwa Bernardo

(Left to right) Doctors Drew Valdez, Lyien Ho and Dex Mallari are among Filipio doctors who use TikTok to battle medical misinformation. Photos from Alverez, Ho and Mallari's TikTok accounts

(Left to right) Doctors Drew Valdez, Lyien Ho and Dex Mallari are among Filipio doctors who use TikTok to battle medical misinformation. Photos from Valdez, Ho and Mallari's TikTok accounts

Article (news)

Filipino doctors push back against medical misinformation on TikTok

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17553955120303-Composite 8.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">(Left to right) Doctors Drew Valdez, Lyien Ho and Dex Mallari are among Filipino doctors who use TikTok to battle medical misinformation. <em>Photos from Valdez, Ho and Mallari&#x27;s TikTok accounts</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — At first glance, TikTok may seem an unlikely space for serious health conversations. But scroll past dance trends and lip syncs, and you&#x27;ll find a growing number of Filipino doctors building digital clinics through bite-sized videos.</p><p>Among them are Lyien Ho, Drew Valdez and Dex Mallari, three physicians from different specialties, backgrounds, and regions, but who share a common calling: making health information more accurate, accessible, and less intimidating for Filipinos online.</p><p>Though none of them planned to become full-fledged content creators, all three were pushed by the same moment: the pandemic. Suddenly, clinics were less accessible, patients were left to Google their symptoms, and misinformation spread faster than most diseases.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/1/solon-files-anti-fake-news-and-disinformation-bill-2201"><strong>Solon files &#x27;Anti-Fake News and Disinformation Bill&#x27;<br/></strong></a></div><p>“There was a need,” said Ho, a primary care doctor who now specializes in lifestyle medicine. </p><p>“I felt that responsibility to bridge that gap.” Valdez, a urologist trained in both surgery and media (he took up broadcasting in college), found the pandemic a perfect storm to begin posting. </p><p>“We had more time, and more people needed accurate information,” he said. Mallari, an OB-GYN from Pampanga, was inspired after seeing other professionals use TikTok to creatively bust myths. “Hindi lang siya sayaw at lip sync. Nakita ko na puwede din pala siya maging educational,” he recalled.</p><p>Their videos don’t just educate — they translate. For these doctors, the challenge isn’t just knowing the science, but making it stick.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;RELEVANCE OVER REACH&#x27;</strong></div><p>All three doctors say they create content as if speaking directly to their patients. “If you can’t explain something to a 10-year-old,” Valdez said, “then you probably don’t understand it well enough yourself.” </p><p>For Mallari, that also means being sensitive to what his audience may be too embarrassed to ask. “Nakakahiya minsan para sa iba ‘yung tanong. Pero ‘yun ‘yung mga pinaka-nakakatulong na sagutin,” he explained.</p><p>Whether it&#x27;s about menstruation myths, the dangers of excessive vitamin C, or spotting the signs of diabetes, these doctors choose relevance over reach. “Fun never has to compromise facts,” Ho said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/3/3/tiktok-health-traps-how-influencers-give-you-bad-advice-1054"><strong>TikTok health traps: How influencers give you bad advice<br/></strong></a></div><p>And while each has their own style, Ho uses real-life hooks, Valdez speaks plainly to the camera, and Mallari zeroes in on misunderstood issues. Their goal is the same: to raise health literacy while respecting people’s lived realities.</p><p>Their collective concern? Medical misinformation.</p><p>From “natural cures” for kidney stones to feminine washes that promise false results, all three doctors have seen how quickly bad advice circulates and how dangerous it can be. </p><p>“There are creators out there using their platforms to sell products by sounding scientific,” Ho said. “But emotional appeal doesn’t make something true.”</p><p>Valdez, whose videos have been stolen and used by AI scam pages to promote unverified products, warns of a growing crisis: “There are entities online who claim to be doctors or act like doctors and give advice sa general public without the benefit of performing proper history and physical examination, then plugging in their products. So that&#x27;s really bad. </p><p>“[‘Yun ‘yung pinakapotentially] dangerous, especially those quack doctors saying they can cure cancer. So, imagine the delay na pwedeng mangyari kapag they believe that the one product can cure their cancer. So, hindi sila na-a-address agad. Hindi sila na-b-bypass agad, hindi sila na-operahan agad, hindi sila na-ki-chemo agad.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;STICK TO THE EVIDENCE&#x27;</strong></div><p>Their solution? Stick to evidence. All three fact-check religiously before posting. Mallari even writes scripts for most of his videos, checking everything against textbooks and published journals. “We owe it to the viewers,” he said. “They trust us, so we need to be sure what we say is right.”</p><p>But credibility isn’t always enough. Being a doctor online means walking a tightrope between being serious and being shareable.</p><p>Mallari said being relatable often means answering what may seem like “sobrang simple” questions, whether one can bathe during menstruation, for instance. “Kaya for me, being engaging din is being able to answer even the simplest type of questions,” he said, noting that many of his viewers are too shy to ask these things in person, but deeply want to know.</p><p>Their content also chips away at bigger social taboos.</p><p>As an OB-GYN, Mallari often receives skepticism simply for being a man discussing women’s health. But he sees this as part of the education process. “I may not experience what they are actually physically experiencing,” he said. “But I know why they are experiencing it. I know what to do or I know how it happens. I know how to manage it.”</p><p>Dr. Ho also uses accessible language and creative hooks to break stigma. “Fun never has to compromise facts,” she said. “You can be fun and engaging, but at the same time, giving medical health information to people.” For her, even something as simple as “I-check mo ang kuko mo” can be a way in—drawing someone into a deeper discussion about preventive care.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;ALWAYS BEST TO CONSULT DOCTOR&#x27;</strong></div><p>In a landscape where anyone can claim expertise, their medical degrees—and caution—help set them apart.</p><p>All three are clear about the limits of social media advice. “You can’t give out advice,” said Valdez. “What I try to avoid… I don’t answer it without the benefit of proper history and physical examination because it might be harmful.” Instead, they urge viewers to consult professionals in person.</p><p>Ultimately, that’s their shared hope: that Filipinos feel more empowered to ask questions, verify what they see online, and seek real medical care when they need it.</p><p>“I just want to be known as a credible source,” Valdez said. “Anything urology, gusto kong maging at the top of their heads… credible source, ako.” </p><p>Mallari echoes this in OB-GYN: “Kahit I don&#x27;t experience these physical symptoms, at least I know why they&#x27;re happening—and I can explain it to you.”</p>

<p>Scroll past dance trends and lip syncs on TikTok, and you'll find a growing number of Filipino doctors building digital clinics through bite-sized videos.</p>

Scroll past dance trends and lip syncs on TikTok, and you'll find a growing number of Filipino doctors building digital clinics through bite-sized videos.

Filipino doctors push back against medical misinformation on TikTok

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Filipino doctors push back against medical misinformation on TikTok

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Kirsten Rianne Siu

Published August 17, 2025 10:21 AM PHT

Read More:

TikTok

social media

doctors

medical misinformation

health misinformation

health disinformation

health myths

Drew Valdez

Lyien Ho

Dex Mallari

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